Middle East

The Sultanate of Oman is planning to build the Middle East’s first space rocket launch centre in the port town of Duqm this year, as reported by The National. The National Aerospace Services Company’s Etlaq Space Launch Complex could launch its first rocket as early as next year.

Kevin O'Connell is a former Director of the Office of Space Commerce at the U.S Department of Commerce. He is now the founder of Space Economy Rising LLC, a company that works with clients and partners worldwide on all aspects of the space economy. He is an expert in the field of space commerce and has been involved in space issues for over 30 years. In this episode, he talks about the commercial potential of space and takes unexpected turns. It seems space is looking for any talent out there.

Emirates has selected Inmarsat as the in-flight connectivity provider for its incoming fleet of Airbus A350s as part of a commitment by the United Arab Emirates airline to ensure passengers ‘fly better’. The milestone agreement expands the long-standing partnership between Emirates and Inmarsat.

On the heels of Israel’s purported announcement of the development of its “space administration” Space Force, one cannot help but wonder if the emergence of Space Forces is yet another affront to the provisions of the legal framework that governs outer space.

AXESS Networks and Es’hailSat have announced a Strategic Partnership Agreement to provide Teleport and VSAT services for multiple sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. AXESS Networks offers teleport and satellite communications services globally to customers in various industries, including oil & gas, mining, maritime, telco, corporate, government and NGOs. In the same vein, Es’hailSat operates two GEO satellites and a state-of-the-art teleport in Doha, from where it provides independent, high-quality, advanced satellite services in the region.

The NASA-funded LunaH-Map (Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper) spacecraft, launched on Artemis 1, did not make it into orbit around the moon due to a problem with the propulsion system. Engineers are currently trying to fix thrusters to then try to insert the cubesat into its designated orbit around Moon.

Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) EROS-C3 satellite successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The spacecraft has since entered its designated orbit around Earth and began transmitting data to the ground station.

Long-term orbital sustainability provider, Astroscale Israel, a subsidiary of Astroscale US, has implemented changes in its executive leadership, naming Ofir Azriel the new Managing Director of the company.

In the sixth episode of Space Café Israel, Meidad Pariente is in conversation with Dr. Reut Sorek Abramovich. Can you share something personal that isn’t written in your LinkedIn profile? So my special thing started when I was doing my PhD in Sydney, Australia, and I decided I needed to gain something that will help me mentally and psychologically. So I started doing belly dancing. And people don't know this but I was pretty good at it.

Canadensys Aerospace Corporation has announced that its multi-camera AI-enabled lunar 360-degree imaging system is now on its way to the Moon.  On December 11, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the imaging system launched into space aboard the Japanese ispace Hakuto-R lunar lander on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. As part of the in-space check-out procedure on its way to the Moon, one of the cameras in the system captured this spectacular image of our home planet. Also visible in the image is the spent 2nd stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, as it falls away from the Hakuto-R spacecraft.